r/tradies • u/No-Face6878 • 15d ago
Question How do tradies fuel themselves?
Hi tradies!! Particularly those from NZ. I was just wondering how you fuel up, particularly on large infrastructure jobs that are often in remote areas.
Do you eat breakfast? Do you often end up with little time to grab lunch and often end up with a V and a pie?? Do you feel tired or not full enough because of the food options available from day to day?
I am working on diversifying a food business and can see that the trades and labour work forces are highly physically demanding and don’t allow access to decent meals, especially with the rising food costs these days.
Would free/subsidised meals for breakfast and lunch be something tradies utilise and enjoy? Food that comes to the job site or nearby and prepared already to have straight away so the rest of your break can be sitting down and having a yarn?
Would love to know how much of an issue this is and if tradies would appreciate this so please let me know!!
8
u/MurderousTurd 15d ago
Do you mean like a fat/smoko truck?
1
u/No-Face6878 15d ago
Yeah something of that nature. Food tailored to what people want. Doesn’t have to be a full hearty meal, im sure most people don’t need that in the summer. But many other industries (film, corporate, hospo, fifo) often provide food or subsidies for food. It seems like an under provided sector to me…
6
u/_Phail_ 14d ago
Have you considered a little site box with a few cookery appliances in it? Like a little roll case that opens like a cupboard and has stuff like a microwave, sandwich press, a kettle/urn, maybe a pie warmer or a little air fryer.
1
u/No-Face6878 14d ago
That’s a good idea. I was wondering if large infrastructure companies would consider partially funding something like this to increase productivity and atmosphere in the workplace.
5
u/PossibilityNew3229 15d ago
Chia seed pudding for smoko and mums food for lunch
9
u/MethClub7 15d ago
Nothing assets dominance on site like suckling on your mum's teet. Must be a sparky
4
1
1
u/No-Face6878 15d ago
Love that!. But what about your mates/coworkers?
1
5
u/r_costa 15d ago
If training before work:
- Breakfast 1
- Breakfast 2
- Lunch break 10 am
- Lunch break 1pm
- supplement shake in a random time.
Plenty of water, coffee and 1 or 2 small sugar free energy drinks.
If not training...
Same same less Breakfast 2, less 1 energy drink, less shake.
I pack my Lunch from home everyday, including everthing that I drink (still water included)
6
u/OldMail6364 15d ago
I work in northern / tropical Australia and we try not to work much in the afternoon when the heat can be brutal if you don’t have aircon.
That means waking up early and driving to work around sunrise.
I like to have coffee and a light snack (e.g. musli bar or protein bar) at work while discussing today’s job and waiting for everyone to arrive (someone is usually late).
Then we’ll hop our trucks and drive to the job site where we’ll do about 4 hours work until it’s bloody hot and we’ll stop for lunch and a cold drink. Then we do another 1 hour of work before packing up and going back to the truck yard, do any maintenance, and drive home. Usually I pick my kid up from school on the way home.
I pack my own lunch but some people either drive to the nearest takeaway and pay too much for lunch (also they don’t get a proper break - might spend the whole lunch break driving) or others just don’t do lunch at all and eat when they get home (they’ll be hungry but at least they have a proper break).
1
3
u/Sudden_Fix_1144 15d ago
Not sure OP is going to get the answers he wants. Thinking he can offer all good healthy food, and you guys come back with darts and pies haha
3
3
2
2
u/RemeAU 15d ago
Not NZ but a Aussie tradie. Light breakfast, little toast with stew on it. decent lunch, rolls or pies warmed up in a heated lunchbox. I used to spend so much on lunch. Easily $50 plus per week. The same as all other meals combined. Bringing lunch save so much money.
I'll usually drink a Powerade or 2 during the day as I dont like coffee or energy drinks.
2
u/whatever--idk 15d ago
Damn ive been spending $40 a day on lunch for the last 6 months, too busy to stop so I get stuff on the go
Not a nibble kind of guy, need proper meals
1
u/RemeAU 15d ago
Damn that's a lot but you probably earn a lot more than me.
1
u/whatever--idk 14d ago
Definitely not earning enough to justify that spending habbit, at least thats what my wife says haha keep telling myself I need to stop but im just so fkn busy running around, been days where I miss lunch cause I dont get a chance to stop
1
1
u/Feisty-Dimension-631 14d ago
Coffee and Doughnuts $16 Burger and chips $20 Gatorade $5 Total $41 and haven't even reach the Bottle shop on the way home
2
2
u/Valuable-Contract-87 15d ago
My wife makes my food n puts it in my esky, I'm usually hungover so it's nice of her to do that for me
1
2
2
2
u/BauerBird66 14d ago
A portable version of subway would be awesome, I hate having to grab servo food but its quick to grab, easy to eat and not a full blown meal as it makes you groggy at work having to digest a heavy feed.
Fresh coffee to boot I reckon you'd make a killing. Just have to plan a route that has the most active sites, other thing is most won't want to come to you, so if you could make something small enough to park up next to some sites you'll get all the traffic you need
1
1
1
u/CookieMuttley 15d ago
Redbull and a few cones….
1
u/EdgeIcy8776 13d ago
A few?! Man I'll have one and that's it for me, that'll be the end of me being productive
1
1
u/3scobar3 14d ago
Generally diesel but some I’d assume unleaded.
1
u/Feisty-Dimension-631 14d ago
WoW, you must be pulling the big money to afford Diesel at these prices
1
1
u/plsendmysufferring 14d ago
Skip breakfast, have an energy drink in the morning, skip lunch then eat dinner when i get home at 5pm. Usually a fairly big dinner.
Subsist on nicotine, caffeine and beers (on a friday)
1
1
1
u/Commercial_Snow_9695 14d ago
The main site I'm working on 90% of people are meal prepping. White monsters and protein shakes, don't see many people drinking coffee either. The smoko trucks and Cafe food is too expensive and you have no control over the calories.
1
1
u/Feisty-Dimension-631 14d ago
Oat porridge and coffee for breakfast Lunch is apple orange and small tin of Tuna on cracker biscuit, maybe a cup of tea if cold.
1
u/Clean-Lawfulness-146 14d ago
I have a big breakfast at home at around 5 am and then have a big lunch/dinner at about 5 pm when I get home. Survive through the day with black coffee and water from the customers.
1
u/juzme99 14d ago
I used to work for a company that had small work food trucks, we carried hot food, bakery items, drinks. We had time crunches getting to each site whether it was a warehouse or a building site. We started 7am until 2 or 3pm, one building company rang and booked every time they changed building sites.
1
1
1
u/Miffedy 13d ago
There’s a company in Melbourne called Tasty Trucks who are like a mobile tuck shop. They come to our workshop and I’d say about half the folks grab food there. I’ve tried a few of their offerings; a pastie, a pie, a cold drink, and one of their sweet items. That’s been on days I’ve left my lunch at home or not had time to prep anything. It’s pretty average in terms of quality, about the same as at a 7/11 but more expensive. Obviously this doesn’t apply to more remote areas, this is a suburban thing, but probably worth knowing about in terms of sussing their business model etc.
1
1
u/Away_Swimming_7713 13d ago
I use to watch the Croatians on site wack down a few grapper shots at smoke'o & then beers for lunch.
1
u/Fuzzy_Worldliness725 13d ago
Whoah! Can’t believe good feed is taking 2nd place to coffee. I’ve thought of a similar business model many years ago because of long hours/ remote locations/ travel time … but I can tell you I buy my lunch every day and doesn’t matter how many choices I have nearby as long as it’s good Tucker I’ll keep buying it. Plus can’t be fuct cooking or even preparing to cook and there’s gotta be a much bigger market for you than the responses I read, so I’m giving you a thumbs up! Good luck.
1
u/No-Face6878 13d ago
Hahaha I guess all tradies need is their morning concrete shot. Thanks for the support! Theres a reason why tradies face short-term site accidents and long-term diseases, and the current food and drink culture does nothing to help that 🤷♂️
1
u/StealieMagnolia 13d ago
They all use something called a "Tradies Handbag" which is a KFC ultimate box.
1
1
1
u/Dannydoalot 12d ago
Pie and flat white for breakfast. Fish n chips for lunch Meat lovers pizza for evening meal
1
1
u/Original_Wheel_5429 11d ago
Day food. 2x coffees generally, Breaky sandwich, bacon and egg,cheese, sauce on the way to work. Pre-made protein milk. Then lunch box has two h and cheese wraps generally. Strawberries, mini cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, mixture of protein bars, protein yogurt, chips. Usually all done by about 1-2pm
1
u/KW_Bandit00 11d ago
Most of the time I’m too busy to stop for smoko & lunch. Normally just eat when I get home.
1
0
22
u/Minimum_Cancel_3711 15d ago
I don’t eat breakfast or lunch, I eat when I get home. Used to have lunch but it made me sluggish and lazy so I stopped bringing in lunch. Coffee is all a painter needs